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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To expect my husband to stay at home this Christmas

320 replies

Cloudsandrainbows · 24/09/2020 10:55

Sorry this is complicated and long winded, will try to get to the point. I have two children and my husband has another from a previous relationship....which for many reasons I have not seen in 3 years(the mother is very nasty, and always calling the shots, court would make no difference, she's not the sort to listen to a court order, and it's been so long and the relationship between me and this child has been too severely damaged to repair, not to mention the impact on my children to attempt a reconsilliation again), however my husband has still had regular contact every other weekend, and until the pandemic was staying overnight at his parents on those weekends.
With christmas looming I am anticipating the next hurdle. It is his turn to have his other child on Xmas Eve and day. They have for the past 4 years been taking turns rather than having half the day each as previously, which was unfair as my husband had to do all the running around in the middle of our Christmas dinner. 2 years ago, when it was last his turn, I was left heavily pregnant with a 3 year old over Xmas, and decided to go to my mums, which didn't actually help as my then 3 year old still spent hours upon hours crying for her daddy on Christmas Eve, and the whole experience was very upsetting all round. Our youngest will be almost 2 by Christmas and I'm upset for him as well as my 5 year old that they will not have their dad on Christmas day. I understand he wants to see his other child and have no issue with that, but I feel he should be spending the day with us. His other child wouldn't miss out by having Christmas with her mother instead, but our children will be devastated to not have daddy at home. I cannot imagine him telling her mother he can't have her this Christmas or asking to change the arrangements, or her accepting any changes but I feel he needs to put his foot down and do right by us for a change. Am I being unreasonable to expect him to spend Christmas with us instead of his other child?

OP posts:
movingonup20 · 24/09/2020 14:22

It is nothing to do with Christmas, your dh needs to sort out access properly in court if needed and you need to blend your family, his eldest son deserves his dad on Christmas Day as much as the younger two dc, the solution is simple, all at your house and you have months to reestablish contact. Actually the mother cannot dictate what your h does during his contact times

Devlesko · 24/09/2020 14:23

Can you not get your kids dad to step up, and why is your child with someone else calling your dh dad?
I'm missing something, I think?

OhCaptain · 24/09/2020 14:25

@redstararnie76

I don't think OP is coming back....
Looks like another post and run!
OhCaptain · 24/09/2020 14:26

@Devlesko

Can you not get your kids dad to step up, and why is your child with someone else calling your dh dad? I'm missing something, I think?
Who said her child was with someone else? Confused
ZeroFuchsGiven · 24/09/2020 14:27

@Devlesko

Can you not get your kids dad to step up, and why is your child with someone else calling your dh dad? I'm missing something, I think?
Her dh is her kids Dad, where did You get that he wasn't? Confused
YouAfterMe · 24/09/2020 14:31

Oh - just celebrate Christmas on Boxing Day. So many power plays about a turkey dinner.

KormaKormaChameleon · 24/09/2020 14:37

our children will be devastated to not have daddy at home

DH and I both NHS, it's a rare thing DC have us both for Christmas and sometimes they've had neither. You work round it and make sure they aren't 'devastated' by making the best of it/celebrating on a different day.

All your DH kids are deserving equally of his time. I think YAB really U

aSofaNearYou · 24/09/2020 14:39

YABU, he had a child first, which comes before yours

What absolute bullshit.

Lovemusic33 · 24/09/2020 14:41

There are several solutions here but you are saying court is a waste of time and obviously your dh doesn’t want to put his foot down and say that the child has to come to your home. I think court is the best option but at the end of the day you can’t force a child (older child) to go to a parents house if they don’t want too. She could break the court order but she will eventually get in trouble for this and it won’t look good for her if she refuses contact.

Your other option is to suck it up, it’s only fair that he sees his child every other Christmas and why shouldn’t the child get to she it’s father? If the child refuses to come to your home then I can see why your dh is going to his parents to see the child, he’s obviously worried that contact will stop completely if the child refuses to go to the family home?

I do feel for you, I have been a step parent and had to juggle 2 lots of children and try and keep everyone happy including the ex, it’s not easy and no way would a get together with a man with young children again.

You had kids with him knowing he already had a child so I’m afraid you and the children have to accept that he has to spend time with his other child. Every other weekend is nothing as your dc’s get him on the other days?

valtandsinegar · 24/09/2020 15:43

His other child wouldn't miss out by having Christmas with her mother instead, but our children will be devastated to not have daddy at home

What is your thought process here?

GetUpAgain · 24/09/2020 15:48

My DH has had to work many Christmas days, we've made sure the DC weren't devastated and in tears for hours by teaching them one day is not the be all and end all. Its not difficult tbh.

WorksTheDinerAllDay · 24/09/2020 15:55

Am I missing something fundamental here? If it's his turn to have his child at Christmas, why can't he pick the child up and bring them back to your house?

Is there a huge back story as to why the child is seeing your husband at his parents house instead of at your house?

DisgruntledGuineaPig · 24/09/2020 15:59

The problem is the pandering to your step child not going to dhs house. Your step child should be with dh this year. So should dhs other children, your step-child's siblings.

If dh goes to your ILs, so do you and the other 2dcs.

You all have Christmas together. Your DSCs mother might not like that her child has siblings that arent related to her, but unfortunately that's the reality.

HauntedPencil · 24/09/2020 16:02

This is really impossible as it seems for some reason the child isn't allowed at your home.

DHs child has a right to spend time with their dad too, so if that's unreasonable you have to deal with if properly rather than this odd arrangement.

Without knowing why, hard to say.

Pogmella · 24/09/2020 16:08

You’ve got time between now and xmas to get some counselling as a family and begin to repair things with your DSD if you really want to fix this.

You knew he had a DD when you met him, as the adult the onus is on you to facilitate a positive relationship as much as you can. Your DC will take your lead on how traumatic dad being partially absent at xmas is, as many pp have noted it’s the norm for a lot if families who cope just fine.

Think about the impact on your DC if seeing that dad can successfully compartmentalise a child like this?

SpilltheTea · 24/09/2020 16:23

Christmas isn't the problem here. The whole situation is a massive mess. Why are your children more important than his child? You should be having this Christmas together as a blended family, not shoving his child aside. You chose to have kids with someone who already had one, what did you expect?

KeepingPlain · 24/09/2020 16:25

I'm assuming that your DH had this other child first and didn't cheat on you. Or maybe you're the ow and that's why his ex hates you.

Either way, it doesn't matter. His other child misses out too by not having their dad there on Christmas day too. Your children aren't the only ones here, all 3 are. If they can't be together for one day, then you're all going to have to accept that and you need to stop whining about it.

If you wanted your children to have all the attention, you shouldn't have had kids with a man who already has them. It was never going to happen. Dunno why you couldn't see that.

HauntedPencil · 24/09/2020 16:32

That's a bit harsh, because you wouldn't necessarily expect this type of arrangement? Usually they'd be visiting at your home.

Notyoungbutscrappyandhungry · 24/09/2020 17:24

@lyralalala @ZeroFuchsGiven Ah okay! OP is VVBU then. Sorry, the idea step mum would prefer not to see her husband on Christmas Day than to have her step child come literally didn't compute!

bethany39 · 24/09/2020 17:29

"His other child wouldn't miss out by having Christmas with her mother instead, but our children will be devastated to not have daddy at home."

YABU for this alone. By this logic your children "wouldn't miss out" by having Christmas with just their mother either.

Your DH needs to go to court to sort this mess out so that next time he has her at Christmas you can all spend the day together.

bg21 · 24/09/2020 17:44

massive back story here and clearly op isn't coming back to explain lol

aSofaNearYou · 24/09/2020 17:48

Ah okay! OP is VVBU then. Sorry, the idea step mum would prefer not to see her husband on Christmas Day than to have her step child come literally didn't compute!

I don't think the OP has disclosed enough information about what happened to judge this. She hasn't even said this is coming from her side.

StephenKong · 24/09/2020 17:50

How old is the child? Why can't they both stay in your home for Christmas? I can't believe the child herself is refusing and he is obligingly moving them both out for the holiday.
Where do they stay? Confused

slipperywhensparticus · 24/09/2020 17:52

Well this didn't go the way the op wanted clearly

StephenKong · 24/09/2020 17:55

Is it you refusing to have her in the house, op? Hmm. Jesus...